There were nights when her bed sheets would feel cold. And not because she always left the window open, or because she slept in skimpy nighties, but just because he hadn't been lazing on them for hours reading. It had annoyed her at the time, she had a perfectly good living room yet he insisted on wrinkling her silk sheets with his oafish badly-clothed self. Now? She would have paid for him to do that before she crawled into bed every night, if he could stand to be around her ever again. Summer wasn't holding her breath.
Guys like Seth Cohen weren't the type that you could cheat on without repercussions. You would think that the boy who was living his own fantasy would consider something like that a glitch and deny that it ever happened, but Seth had a surprising amount of pride. And that pride walked him out the door of her apartment seven months ago, tears in his eyes and a curse on his lips as she swore it would never happen again.
It never did happen again, but she wasn't the only one to keep her promise and despite their proximity she hadn't seen him once during their time apart. She had called, and she had begged, but it seemed that his answering machine was as unforgiving as Seth himself. "I'll catch you later". He never "caught" her later when she called.
Never at least until he literally caught her in their ex-coffee place.
"Woah, you o- Summer?"
"Cohen!"
He turned to leave, then to face her, then to leave again, unsure of what he should do. Finally he stood his ground, the expression on his face mildly veiled disgust.
"What brings you out in sunlight? Heading to your corner?" he spat.
"That's not fair," she countered, eyes faltering to the ground.
"No, what wasn't fair was when you jumped sack with one of the guys who used to pee in my shoes," he paused exasperated, "what is it with them and putting those things in my stuff!"
"First, Cohen, I was never your "stuff" and second? Maybe if you had like, actually been around I wouldn't have done it. You know you were the one that threw me out," she cried.
"You were being unreasonable! Why I was even surprised surpasses me right now, because you? Summer? Are always unreasonable. You're the Hulk when you don't get your own way and sometimes? Sometimes it's not all about you," he threw back at her. His hands waving in time to the words.
She paused, her mouth slightly open as finally she asked quietly, "Big and green?"
"Mean and stubborn," he clarified.
"Oh.. But not big and green?"
"No," he confirmed, almost smiling.
Taking her arm and leading Summer to a shaded area just round from the door of the coffee house, away from prying eyes, Seth stopped, lowering his voice.
"Look, when we're all done with our game of blame.. And pop culture, you cheated on me Summer. And it doesn't matter who started the argument because you ended it, you're like the horsemen of our relationship," he strained.
"I miss you," she said simply.
"I'm sorry, Summer, what do you expect me to do?"
"You could come home," she offered.
The hurt behind his eyes seemed to have built and as he stood in front of her it looked like Seth might have actually been considering her offer. He took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers, swinging their hands lightly between them.
"You were ALL I wanted," he confided with a sad smile, before letting her hand go. As Seth turned, heading back down the sidewalk Summer felt the warmth of his hand slip away from her skin, a quiet tear tracking down her cheek.
"Cohen!"
He stopped.
"I wanted you," she called through thick tears.
He shook his head sadly, biting his lower lip as he replied, "Then you should have slept alone, Sum". As he turned his back on her again he waved, leaving Summer standing in the hot, afternoon sunlight, tears drying into salty tracks on her skin, hand half in the air.
And it would be another night of cold bed sheets and colder mornings, because of a night when she crawled into the bed that Seth hadn't been lazing on for hours, waiting for her.
Guys like Seth Cohen weren't the type that you could cheat on without repercussions. You would think that the boy who was living his own fantasy would consider something like that a glitch and deny that it ever happened, but Seth had a surprising amount of pride. And that pride walked him out the door of her apartment seven months ago, tears in his eyes and a curse on his lips as she swore it would never happen again.
It never did happen again, but she wasn't the only one to keep her promise and despite their proximity she hadn't seen him once during their time apart. She had called, and she had begged, but it seemed that his answering machine was as unforgiving as Seth himself. "I'll catch you later". He never "caught" her later when she called.
Never at least until he literally caught her in their ex-coffee place.
"Woah, you o- Summer?"
"Cohen!"
He turned to leave, then to face her, then to leave again, unsure of what he should do. Finally he stood his ground, the expression on his face mildly veiled disgust.
"What brings you out in sunlight? Heading to your corner?" he spat.
"That's not fair," she countered, eyes faltering to the ground.
"No, what wasn't fair was when you jumped sack with one of the guys who used to pee in my shoes," he paused exasperated, "what is it with them and putting those things in my stuff!"
"First, Cohen, I was never your "stuff" and second? Maybe if you had like, actually been around I wouldn't have done it. You know you were the one that threw me out," she cried.
"You were being unreasonable! Why I was even surprised surpasses me right now, because you? Summer? Are always unreasonable. You're the Hulk when you don't get your own way and sometimes? Sometimes it's not all about you," he threw back at her. His hands waving in time to the words.
She paused, her mouth slightly open as finally she asked quietly, "Big and green?"
"Mean and stubborn," he clarified.
"Oh.. But not big and green?"
"No," he confirmed, almost smiling.
Taking her arm and leading Summer to a shaded area just round from the door of the coffee house, away from prying eyes, Seth stopped, lowering his voice.
"Look, when we're all done with our game of blame.. And pop culture, you cheated on me Summer. And it doesn't matter who started the argument because you ended it, you're like the horsemen of our relationship," he strained.
"I miss you," she said simply.
"I'm sorry, Summer, what do you expect me to do?"
"You could come home," she offered.
The hurt behind his eyes seemed to have built and as he stood in front of her it looked like Seth might have actually been considering her offer. He took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers, swinging their hands lightly between them.
"You were ALL I wanted," he confided with a sad smile, before letting her hand go. As Seth turned, heading back down the sidewalk Summer felt the warmth of his hand slip away from her skin, a quiet tear tracking down her cheek.
"Cohen!"
He stopped.
"I wanted you," she called through thick tears.
He shook his head sadly, biting his lower lip as he replied, "Then you should have slept alone, Sum". As he turned his back on her again he waved, leaving Summer standing in the hot, afternoon sunlight, tears drying into salty tracks on her skin, hand half in the air.
And it would be another night of cold bed sheets and colder mornings, because of a night when she crawled into the bed that Seth hadn't been lazing on for hours, waiting for her.